Chorus From “La Mandragola.”
How happy is he, as all may see
Who has the good fortune a fool to be,
And what you tell him will always believe!
No ambition can grieve,
No fear can affright him
Which are wont to be seeds
Of pain and annoy.
This doctor of ours,
’Tis not hard to delight him—
If you tell him ’twill gain him
His heart’s wish and joy,
He’ll believe in good faith that an ass can fly,—
Or that black is white, and the truth a lie,—
All things in the world he may well forget—
Save the one whereon his whole heart is set.
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527).